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Evgeni Malkin vs Joe Sakic

Who is the greater player

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Malkin. I always hated Sakic.

Very similar players though. I don't really like Malkin either. I wish there was a third option here.
 
T1K said:
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You can compare Malkin with almost any player in history, show that video of his 2009 smythe win and make the other guy look bad. Sakic is one of the few exceptions though. Sakic 1996 > Malkin 2009

I voted Sakic. Malkin is very strong for single playoff/season peak, but Sakic arguably has him beat on both (1996 playoffs, 2001 season). Sakic has too much longevity and consistency, and also international success and playoff success - for Malkin to make up.

You could maybe make a case that Malkin is slightly "better", and in a "what if" scenario without all the injuries he had, he could have topped Sakic. But in reality, Sakic has him easily beat on prime and career - and for peak I see it as slight edge to Sakic too, but either way that is close.
 
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If you're looking solely at stats, then in terms of averages it's fairly close. But Joe played in over 400 more games as of today, I'm not sure if Malkin can sustain his numbers over the next 4 seasons but I could be wrong.
 
I Hate Chris Butler said:
I know it has been a while, but Joe Sakic was a really good hockey player.
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A lot of hockey fans active on these boards never got to see him live. Never got to see him in anything but highlight clips. While they have grown up with Malkin being on one of the premier teams in the league. Malkin is fantastic and has been part of a two headed monster in Pittsburgh for over a decade. But Sakic is just the definition of consistency, he was always delivering in the big moments. His wrister was one of the most deceptive shots in NHL history. Absolute monster. And now he continues his excellence as a GM.
 
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Malkin in 07-08, 08-09 and 11-12 was as dominant a player as Ovi and Sid, and at times his absolute peak was even higher than both because he could do things neither could. Problem is injuries and consistency matter when looking back on a career. So although he may have a higher apex than Sakic, Sakic is the guy any GM would want because you get more value out of him in the long run.
 
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T1K said:
Malkin won the Art Ross that year too, Sakic didn’t.
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He came in second with 118 points to prime Jagr who had 121 and 3rd was 22 points behind Sakic. The years before and after nobody even cleared 100 points. That's just bad luck.
 
Sakic--Malkin

Hart: 1--1
Finalist: 1--3
Top 10: 6--4
Lindsay: 1--1
Finalist: 2--3
Smythe: 1--1
Calder: 0--1

Ross: 0--2
Top 10 pts: 10--4
PPG leader: 0--1
Top 10 PPG: 9--10

Rocket: 0--0
Top 10 goals: 5--3
GPG leader: 0--0
Top 10 GPG: 4--5

1st AST: 3--3
Awards: 3--6

As is usually the case with Malkin vs any great player, his injuries hurt him big time. 99% of the time his peak (11/12 regular season, 09 playoffs) makes up for his lack of pt finishes and "milestones", but Sakic is that rare player who can equal him for peak season and/or playoffs.

Voted Sakic.
 
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